


Dixon Determination

by gayageddon



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Explicit Language, Flirting, Frustrated Daryl, It's The Walking Dead, M/M, Making Out, Oblivious Rick, What Did You Expect, Wooing, get-together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-16
Updated: 2015-02-16
Packaged: 2018-03-13 07:48:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3373511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gayageddon/pseuds/gayageddon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daryl realizes he's in love with Rick, and wants to let him know-subtly. This proves to be troublesome, seeing as how Rick has all the observation skills of a goddamn sponge.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Challenge Accepted

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is going to be longer than my first. Enjoy one determined redneck and one oblivious ex-deputy. 
> 
> I set out to write a thilbo fic but this happened instead. I'm not actually upset by the outcome. Enjoy

Coming to terms with the fact that he loves Rick isn’t shocking. It’s puzzling. Problematic. Frustrating as hell. But not unwelcome.

Daryl circles this problem for days-like a hyena does a wounded animal, aware that it could jump up and gut him at any moment, and hoping that it will just keel over on its own. It doesn’t of course. He entertains the thought of avoiding Rick, maybe telling him he needs some time to himself. But he just doesn’t have the heart to. The devotion with which he follows Rick scares him, but it’s become too great a part of himself to ignore. To just _stop_.

“You his bitch now?” Merle’s voice is no more than a fleeting echo these days, easy to dismiss. And besides, he cares more for Rick than the shadow of his brother looming over him. The opinions of his brother aren’t his own. He _loves_ Rick.

_Like a brother_ , he thinks. But he can only kid himself for so long, and he’s already disproven this argument with himself. Daryl’s always been aware of Rick’s attractiveness. Only recently has it become an issue-a reoccurring and _frustrating_ issue. It’s not like he can do anything about it. He can’t just tell him-

_Well, why the hell not?_ He allows the traitorous thought to sit for a minute. _Reason 1: Carl_. The kid actually likes him though, has said that he thinks Daryl would be _good_ for Rick. Which is weird on a couple different levels. Moving on.

_Reason 2: Lori_. The meaner part of him says fuck her. She’s been gone long enough now that _surely_ Rick is over her. Daryl shifts guilty at his position by the window and decides to come back to that thought later.

_Reason 3: He’s straight?_ At least, that’s what Daryl thinks. He’s been watching Rick like a hawk, but he doesn’t seem to have any interest in men. Or anyone for that matter.

“Hey,” Carol says softly, making him jump a little. He should have noticed her approaching-the cabin they’re holed up in is of sardine can proportions. “Rick’s back. Thought you might wanna know.”

Daryl shrugs in feigned disinterest. She sees right through it though, as per fucking always.

She drops her voice even lower, “you should tell him.”

“Been thinkin about it,” he admits (with no small degree of reluctance).

“For the record, I think he-” she cuts herself off as Rick appears over her shoulder, grinning tiredly.

“What’re you two discussin?”

“You,” Carol answers pointedly. She then walks away, leaving Daryl to flounder without her grounding-albeit meddlesome-presence.

Rick turns the grin on Daryl now. “Oh, were you now? What about?” He drawls and Daryl can’t help but say the first thing that comes to mind.

“Them pretty blue eyes of yours.” _Goddamn it, Dixon. Get a hold of yourself_. Smirking against his panic, Daryl gets up to help sort out the things Glenn and Maggie have found.

Rick snorts out a laugh, “sure,” and leaves to check on Judith.

_Got lucky that time_. But Daryl is unaccountably annoyed. He wants Rick to know, suddenly, and any hesitancy he was feeling before dissipates. Consequences be damned.

When Daryl Dixon puts his mind to a task, you can be damn sure he’s going to finish it. Somehow.


	2. Subtle Was a Terrible Idea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's all in the chapter title really.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be up immediately.

He decides that subtlety is the safest route. However, Daryl has failed to take into account that Rick is the personification of obliviousness (the sort previously thought to be exclusive to poorly written TV sitcoms). After three days of saying things like “mornin’ sunshine” and “night darlin’”, the most he has received in return is a disappointingly heterosexual clap on the shoulder, a bemused smile, and _outright laughter_.

Daryl isn’t sure what he’s doing wrong. He’s even lowered himself to using the “smolder” as Carol called it. And if he had just been messing around, the mixture of amusement and confusion-more of the latter-he got in return would be hilarious. But he’s not messing around. This is serious.

So, naturally, he goes to Michonne. While not outwardly a people person, she’s the most observant of all of them.

“You here for relationship advice?” She asks without looking up from her seat on the front porch. Daryl can hear the amusement in her voice and instantly bristles.

“So what if I am?”

Michonne looks up, thoughtful. “You’re serious?”

“Yeah,” he huffs.

“Alright. What’s the problem?”

Daryl glares into the forest as if it holds the right words to describe his current dilemma. It doesn’t. “I’m tryin' to…” He pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs, “tryin' to tell him how I feel…but without actually… _sayin'_ it.”

“Aw, so you want help with flirting.” The smile that she gives him is teasing, but not unsympathetic.

“Didn’t say that,” Daryl grumbles. “Just don’t know how to go about it. It’s like he doesn’t think I’m serious or somethin’.”

“Yeah, I heard you this morning, ‘darlin’.” Daryl grudgingly admits to himself that her impression does sound like him. “You’re not being forward enough.”

“What am I supposed to do? Just go up to him and say, ‘I wanna suck your dick’?”

 _I can’t believe I just said that_. Michonne looks smug at his declaration. “Well, do you?”

“ _Not the point_ ,” he stresses. “Come on, help me out here.” Which is as close to begging as he’ll ever get. But she seems to sober up a bit.

“Physical contact. You two are pretty tactile with each other, but you need to step it up for him to notice.”

“Huh. Like what.”

“I don’t know. Lean against him every now and then. Touch his knee.”

“That work for you?” Daryl queries, curious now.

“I was usually more direct with my advances,” she deadpans and Daryl can see on her face that she thinks he’s being an idiot.

“I’m leaving some room for failure, alright? I don’t wanna go all in and then get sucker-punched with rejection.”

“It’ll work out. He’s crazy about you. We can all tell. Even if he is a little slow on the uptake.” Michonne waves him away. “Now go; I just heard the back door open.”

 _Rude_. He takes his leave, but not without some feet dragging.

“Hey, Daryl.” _Oh_. Rick is in front of him, cradling a squirmy Judith in his arms. “Wanna hold her? Think she wants you.”

“Sure thing.” Daryl steps into his personal space and takes the wriggling infant without complaint. She calms down soon enough. He still hasn’t moved back from Rick, who’s staring down at his daughter with a haggard smile. _No way this will work_. He reaches up with his unoccupied hand and grabs Rick’s shoulder. “You alright?” The eye contact should be awkward, but the intent with which Rick is looking at him makes it almost surreal instead.

“Yeah,” he sighs, “just…ain’t been sleepin well since-you know.” _Yeah…I know_.

“Want me to keep her in the living room while you sleep?” He’s still holding Rick’s shoulder. The contact is grounding but nerve-wracking all at once. Being close enough to touch, but not close enough to _feel_.

“Nah, it’s fine. She keeps me sane.” Rick’s tone aims for joking but falls flat. _You **are** sane_.

“If you need anything, just…talk to me, okay?” Daryl squeezes his shoulder once in solidarity, reveling in the comfort of the gesture. _Not enough_. He leans forward and hugs him, carefully aware of Judith-now sleeping-between them.

When he pulls back, Rick looks bewildered but pleased. _That’s an improvement. Barely_. “Count on it.”


	3. Finally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No, really. It's all in the chapter title.

Daryl has stepped up his game. He’s left the world of ‘pet names’ and ‘meaningful glances’ and shot straight into painfully obvious flirtation. It’s ridiculously effective in getting Rick flustered, but not in getting him to _understand_. The only up-side is that Daryl no longer feels any discomfort with making little advances at Rick.

“Tsk, shame,” he says, leaning in the doorway of the guest bedroom. Rick is pulling on a shirt, hair still damp from when he’d washed it, and looking altogether unfairly sexy. _Goddamn it, and he’s got nice legs too_.

“What’s that?” Rick says, dressed now-unfortunately-and straps on his holster. 

“Just thinkin…” Rick glances up with a quirked eyebrow at his pause. “…about what a shame it is you lost that cop get-up of yours.”

“Hmph.” _Come on, gimme somethin' to work with here_. “It wasn’t exactly flattering,” he deadpans, clearly not taking Daryl seriously. _Which needs to be amended immediately_.

“I beg to differ. _Everyone_ loves a man in uniform.” _**I** love a man in uniform. **I** think you’re insanely hot. Get it through your thick skull_. Try as he might to project his thoughts onto Rick, all he gets back is a chuckle.

“Sure they do.”

_**I WANT TO HAVE SEX WITH YOU**_.

“I’m gonna go check on Judith.”

_GODDAMN IT_.

“Sure thing, Rick.” Daryl’s sure to brush his shoulder on the way out, hoping that the idiot at least notices his frustration. No luck.

  


“Oh, hey Daryl.” Carl, the nosy brat, appears out of nowhere to interrupt his conversation with Maggie. He had been trying to get some tips out of her, but all she would say was “just tell him already. You two idiots really deserve each other.”

“Hey, kid.” Daryl looks up in greeting and is immediately wary of what he sees. Carl has his ‘grown-up’ face on.

“You’ve been talking to my dad.”

“Uh, yeah, we tend to do that.” _Shit. Shitshitshitshitshit._

“You’ve been doing it wrong.”

“What now?” Daryl watches as Maggie gets up to leave, but not without a smirk and a wink. _Helpful as always_.

“You’re going way over his head. Either just tell him or give up. Cuz at this rate you’ll be going around in circles forever.”

“Kid, what the hell are you talkin' about?”

“I’m not an idiot. I know how you two feel about each other.” When Daryl looks as though he’s about to argue, he adds, “It doesn’t bother me. So save it.”

“Thanks, I guess,” Daryl mutters. 

“You’re welcome. Just keep the PDA to a minimum,” Carl tacks on with an almost-grimace.

“No promises, kiddo.”

“Ugh.” He stomps off, probably to the end of the house farthest from his dad’s room. _This has only two outcomes: success or painful, agonizing failure_.

_Might as well get it over with it_. Daryl marches like he’s going to war; like he’s walking up the steps to the gallows. He prepares a miniature speech in his head, but by the time he makes it to Rick, he’s already forgotten it. The source of his frustration is sitting _right there_. And the solution is _three words away_.

“What’s up?” Rick asks him, easy and so _fucking oblivious_ that it makes Daryl brave-and probably stupid.

_Three words? No, fuck that. Three words aren’t enough_ , he thinks, crossing the room and leaning down to capture Rick’s mouth with his own. _Finally_. He slides and presses and pulls, the irritation of this past week bleeding into the kiss, making it rough and no small degree of filthy. And Rick is kissing him back. Fiercely. Gasping into his mouth like he’s been out of breath his whole life and Daryl is breathing oxygen into his lungs.

_Not enough_. So, he pushes Rick onto his back and rucks up his shirt, taking a small moment to look on unabashed before he’s being pulled back into the kiss. The man beneath him is moaning against his lips; and Daryl is straddling him, losing himself in the way one of Rick’s hands is pulling at his hair and the other is roaming down his back. _Gotta say it. Gotta make sure he knows_.

He pulls back and Rick _whines_ at that, a high breathy sound that makes Daryl shudder. “I love you,” he says into the warm skin of his neck. “Been meanin’ to tell you that.”

“Why didn’t you just-ohh. Was wonderin’ what all that was about.” Rick grins, having connected the dots, finally.

Daryl pulls back to glare at him. “Ain’t my fault you wouldn’t know flirtin’ if it hit you over the head.”

“I love you too.”

“Yeah, yeah. Shut up and kiss me some more.”

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FIRST MULTI-CHAPTER FIC. I know it was short, but hey, it's still good practice.


End file.
